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11

Language Families—Clues to the Past

The distribution of language families shows how humans have spread through migration. We trace the Austronesian language family to its origins on Formosa. Similar work sheds light on the history of Africa and North America.

Reviews

a********m

February 6, 2018

Saying the Indo-European family of languages possibly originated in "Turkey" is akin to saying AmerIndian languages possibly originated in "the United States." There is a proper academic term for the region: Asia Minor. As a matter of fact, the precise region referred to encompasses the Armenian Highland and its vicinities. Given the fact the Armenian language itself is Indo-European, it would be far less erroneous and appropriate to use the term Armenian Highland instead of Turkey. Some use the term Anatolia, but it is also a politically motivated notion at present, as the Turks have somehow appropriated and nationalized the term, in effect, moving the borders of Anatolia to the East by another 1,000 miles or more, in order to swallow the Armenian Highland and eschew any reference to it. The most neutral term remains Asia Minor, if not "the Armenian Highland and its vicinities." Gamkrelidze-Ivanov argue for the heart of the Armenian Highland, Lake Van and vicinities. This is the area where Armenian ethnogenesis is largely traced to. Hopefully, our otherwise fascinating professor takes this issue into proper consideration.